Dr. Vaclav Kacir, a former Division I National Assistant Coach of the Year, was hired as the Coordinator of Rowing at LMU in July 2011. Kacir brings six years of collegiate coaching success at Stanford and Columbia Universities as well as assistant coaching experience with the U.S. National Team and at the World Championships.

"Dr. Vaclav Kacir brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our university," Director of Athletics Dr. Bill Husak said. "He has the same aspirations we have for our crew and rowing programs and that is to win championships and create a great experience for our Lions athletes that includes graduation, personal and spiritual growth in an environment that is challenging and enjoyable. We are all excited about what the future holds for LMU rowing."

"I am thrilled for the opportunity to start as the new head coach at Loyola Marymount University. I can't wait to help facilitate the Lions' rowing to achieve success," Kacir said. "My goals are to build a larger team and to increase the spirit of rowing within the LMU community."

In four seasons with Stanford, Kacir helped lead the Cardinal's II Eight boat to never-before-seen success, including back-to-back Pac-10 titles in 2010 and 2011. He worked with all of the varsity lineups in 2011, helping the Stanford V4 finish 6th, the II Eight finish first and the I Eight to finish third at the NCAA Championships, as the team earned an overall second place finish.

Under Kacir, Stanford won a bronze medal at the 2009 NCAA Championships and a silver medal at the Pac-10 Championships. His work with the II Eight played a crucial role in helping Stanford capture the first team national title in school history in 2009, and for his efforts he was named Division I National Assistant Coach of the Year and the West Region Assistant Coach of the Year by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association (CRCA). In 2007-08, Kacir led the II Eight to a bronze medal at the Pac-10 Championships in his first year with the team.

At the international level, Kacir coached Slovakian lightweight men's sculler Lukas Babac to a silver medal in the men's lightweight singles at the 2010 World Championships in New Zealand and a silver medal in the M1x open division at the 2008 European Championships in Athens, Greece. Prior to that, he guided the U.S. Men's Lightweight Quad to a silver medal at the 2006 U-23 World Championships in Belgium. He also coached the Slovakian Men's Lightweight single that won a silver medal at the 2005 U-23 World Championships in Amsterdam. In 2004, he was an assistant coach for the Slovak Republic Olympic Team and in 2003, he was the head coach of the Slovak Junior National Team earning Slovak Coach of the Year recognition for his crew's fourth place performance at the Junior World Championships.

Prior to his four-year stint at Stanford, Kacir served as the Freshmen Lightweight Coach at Columbia University, where the 2007 freshmen Coxed Four won the Eastern Sprints. His Eight placed fourth, finishing the season with a record of 8-4. He also coached the Varsity Pair to a bronze medal at the IRA National Championships. In 2006, his Freshmen Eight finished third at the Eastern Sprints with a season record of 8-2 and his Freshmen Four had a perfect season of 11-0.

Kacir attended Komensky University in Slovakia, where he received his Master's degree in Sports Science. Furthering his education in Psychology and Political Science, he attended Masaryk University in the Czech Republic. His interest in the physiology of rowing brought him back to school and in 2009 he received a doctorate in sport science.

"Most importantly, I aspire to help every athlete achieve their personal best while building a flourishing team spirit that will facilitate each boat to achieve its highest potential," Kacir said. "Finally, I hope to help instill a drive within each student-athlete to not only be victorious within their rowing careers but also within their lives."